Flight of the Amber Eyed Girl
by DistractedHope
Summary: The Hunger Games through Rue's eyes, also exploring what her life was like before the Games happened. How was she able to make it to the top eight? What was life like in District Eleven? Rue is flung into the games, and fights to get out. Will she? Please read and review:) Rating may go up later due to violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, my first fanfiction so if its terrible- well, say so nicely:) this is a filler chapter and I know it's not so exciting but it will get better, I promise. **

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Chapter One

Tribute

"Rue," her father whispered into the cold morning air, "Rue, get up!" Rue rolled over on her side and dragged herself out of bed. She suddenly gasped as she remembered what day it was. Reaping Day. She looked at her father with wide amber eyes and he looked back, hugging her close to his chest. "It'll all be okay, honey," he sighed. She smiled, weakly, springing out of his arms to grab her well worn boots. Quickly tugging them over sockless feet, she stood up, grabbing a small canvas sack and her fathers hand, nearly dragging him out the door.

Together they ran across the deserted street, reaching a watchtower. The Peacekeeper wasn't inside, thanks to a deal her father made with him. They levered the fence up with a stick and shimmied underneath, carefully pas the live wire. Her father followed suit, his stocky and short frame nearly as lithe as his daughters. Creeping along the forest, Rue quickly filled her bag with various forest berries, mostly red, looking out for the poisonous colour of Nightlock, a berry sure to kill her. As the sun slowly rose in the sky, Rue and her father hurried back to their house.

Her mother hurriedly fussed over her, Rue's five younger siblings watching in awe. She wore a pretty blue frock that complemented her skins hue perfectly, and her wild ringlets were tamed into a plait. On her feet were shoes that were slightly too small and white, carefully scrubbed of all stains by her mother the night before. Hearing the bells screeching like birds of prey, Rue quickly planted a kiss on each of her siblings head before tightly hugging her mother and father. With that, she ran outside, her tightly bound feet springing lightly across the street.

As Rue stood at the back, she thought about how likely it was for her name to be called out. Her name was in twenty four times in order to get the extra tesserae rations for her family. But as her father put it, it was just twenty four tiny scraps of paper amongst thousands of others. The thought suddenly comforted her.

A garish woman with blue tinged skin and what looked like a sea creature on her head stood up and lakes to the podium, green heels elongating her turquoise legs. "District Seven," she began, "I am very pleased to present to you the stunning video your illustrious Capitol has provided." We stood there being showed the same video we watched every year. It started as a black screen before fading into a booming Capitol voice, but Rue was so distracted she could only catch snippets before fading back into her own mind. She finally looked up to see the words- _The Hunger Games were created to serve as a reminder for every district to never rise up and rebel again_ and with that she shuddered, feeling something burning rising into her mouth.

The Blue Capitol woman began the selection of tributes, beginning with the boys. She capled out Thresh' name, a boy she knew from working in the orchards with. He walked up to the stage, his head down, the peacekeepers grasp barely grazing him. he got up to the stage as the woman called out- "Any volunteers?" knowing there was none, she quickly went to the girls bowl. She dipped her hand down into the bowl, swishing her hand around dramatically before quickly flicking her hand up and read out "Rue, aged twelve."


	2. Chapter 2

**So Hello Friends, I've been away but I have another three chapters, it gets a lot more exciting, I promise. As always, pretty please read and review. **

**And I don't own the Hunger Games, only the lovely Suzanne Collins does. **

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**Chapter Two  
Old Friends**

Rue looked up, terrified, her heart beating in her ears and filling her body with an irregular thump. Like Thresh, she held her head up as the Capitol Woman called out- " Any volunteers?" Rue was not surprised to hear the dull ache of silence bounce back at her. The peacekeepers brought her up to the stage, placing her in front of Thresh. He looked down, pitying her, his dark eyes pools of sadness. He took her hand, gently as they were told to shake hands. He didn't let go until the Peacekeepers forced them apart.

Rue was taken to the Justice Building, it's large marble facade hiding shabby insides. It was the most opulent building in District Eleven yet only used for tributes and the Mayor rarely saw any use for keeping it extravagant when the district could hardly afford food. Rue was led into a room and seated on the couch. The Peacekeepers left with a resounding thud of the door. Moments later, her family spilled into the room. Her father knelt down quickly in front of her, holding her head in his hands. He whispered to her quickly-"You can forage for berries for food and climb trees or scale rocks. Don't try to take any weapons. Water if you can but nothing dangerous." She nodded and he continued, "You have a chance at surviving the longest. Score well in front of the game makers. Don't let them count you out." She turned to her mother, tears silently streaming. She took her mothers hands and brought them to her face, closing her eyes. She could see all five of her siblings staring a her, unsure but knowing the situation wasn't good. She kissed each on the forehead. A rough knock on the door resounded as the Peacekeepers walked in. Rue watched with amber eyes as her family filed out the door and was replaced by a lone girl, Thamara, her best friend.

Thamara's eyes were red and Rue gently took her hands. Thamara leaned forward, trembling. "I love you, Rue. You're like my sister. I made this for your birthday but I want to give it to you now." Thamara didn't need to say anything more as she handed Rue an intricately woven bracelet, made from blue, green and brown threads. Rue nimbly tied it onto her wrist. "Thank you" was all she said quietly as Thamara left the room. Seeder, a past victor, came into the room. He simply nodded and she stood up, following him blankly. Past the rolling cameras and into the lavishly furnished train that was to transport her to the Capitol, like a lamb taken for slaughter.

The Capitol train was a wash of red velvet and gold accents. Her guide, who later introduced herself as Izusa Crane, showed her to her room. "Everything here is yours," she said her eyes lingering on the dresser, "Take any clothes you want."  
"Thank you, ma'am." Rue replied, painfully aware of all the other tributes before her that stood in this same spot. Izusa left, telling her dinner will be in an hour, to look presentable. Rue walked over to the dresser, opening it up to find more fabrics than she had ever dreamed of. She stripped off her blue dress and too right shoes and swapped into a white shirt and a pair of navy blue cutoffs. The pants weren't so different from what she were, and so were a comfortable reminder. It was the white shirt, so soft and clean with small flower detailing and so, so different from anything she owned. White wasn't appropriate for the fields and she revelled in the colour she could wear. She gently picked up her blue dress and placed it on the big bed. Without her two sisters inside, it looked huge. She decided to wander around, barefoot, for the carpet seemed to pull her toes in and although she knew she would die soon, Rue couldn't help but want a bit of Capitol luxury.

Along the hallway of her room, she found other doors opening into rooms like her. She stood in one, drawn in. She went to the dresser, tracing swirls in the dust. The drawers were empty, except for one which had a piece of paper folded over and over wedged in a corner. Curious, Rue took it out to find a letter. Unable to read from her farming background, all she could read was the name at the bottom, written in a flourishing print. She read two E's at either end of the name and two curly f's, immediately after. Rue knew that the straight line was an i. She formed the letters in her head, Effie, a girl she immediately assumed to be a dead tribute, and felt a tear glide down her cheek for this lost girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**So I don't own the Hunger Games, but I have to admit, I like this chapter a little bit...**

**Please, please just read and review:)**

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**Chapter Three**

**The Train**

They sat around the dinner table, Chaff, a bottle of spirits in hand, Seeder and Isuzu attempting to maintain civility while Rue and Thresh working hard to eat the rich Capitol food. Rue swirled her spoon in her watery broth, salty and rich, from a bird like a goosling but fatter and less gamey. Thresh seemed to tear at chunks of food before not finishing them.

"So, my lovelies," Chaff slurred, "What can you do?"

Thresh looked up, curtly and simply said, "I can fight and lift heavy weights. I could survive in a forest, jungle, field."

Chaff, looking at Thresh' burly size, chose not to comment. Instead his glazed eyes suddenly sharpened on Rue, "What about you, little girl?"

Rue's eyes blazed, and she straightened up to her full height. "I can climb high, tall trees and scale cliffs. I can fit into small crevices. I can survive anywhere be can," she said, jabbing her spoon at Thresh.

Chaff merely downed another mouthful of what was in his bottle and smirked. "Sure, sure, little girl. But can you fight? Will you kill?"

At that Rue paled, she kicked her chair away and silently walked to her room. As she did, she thought she heard the sad sigh of Isuzu.

Rue's first night away from home was filled with nightmares. She was running through the orchard, hearing the snarls of cat muttations close behind her. She scurried up the tree, looking down on them. They looked like normal cats, except they had no eyes, just empty sockets and gruesomely sharp teeth, poisonous saliva dripping out and burning the ground. Then they began to climb, unsheathed claws tearing into the bark. They tore into her foot and blood began to pour out of the wound, out of the sky, soaking her white top red, making her grasp slippery enough to fall down into the waiting mutts claws below.

Rue woke up, gasping, looking into the old, caring eyes of Seeder. Seeder won years ago, her old eyes haunted but her hands strong and unshaken, unlike Chaffs. She whispered to Rue, "Are you okay? You were shouting out." Rue sat up and nodded her head, rasping out of her dry throat, "I had a nightmare. It was raining blood and the mutts tore me apart." She shuddered and started to sob, big heaving sobs, just wanting to be with her mother and in a warm bed with her sisters.

"Hush, girl," Seeder said, stroking her hair, "You're a strong girl. Don't cry, your family are at home, waiting." Then Seeder hugged Rue, closely and tightly. Rue felt herself relax. She slowly sunk down, back into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning she changed into a white summary dress with lace around the bottom, along with shorts underneath. She found Thresh and the others watching the other districts reaping. She was told the Careers were from One, Two and Four and she glazed over most of the others. She noticed a red haired girl like a fox, and a small boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen. It was District Twelve that caught her attention. A young girl was reaped first, only twelve but suddenly, desperately, an older girl lunged forward, volunteering. She stood up in her sisters place, an empty look on her face. Rue admired this girl, yet at the se time, feared her for her determination for her sister. What if she was determined to get back? Rue hopes to ally herself with that girl, but feared the Careers would take her first.

As the train pulled into the Capitol, Rue eagerly pressed her face against the glass, curious to see Panem's wealthiest. The buildings were impossibly high, with wide domes and giant water fountains in all the parks. Pulling into the station, everybody was dressed up, with hair that tottered with their heels, skin that seemed every colour imaginable, glittering and shiny. Rue stepped out of the train, head held high as Capitol cameras began rolling. She quickly walked across into the tribute building, and was escorted inside. She stood in the elevator, feeling sick as she suddenly shot up to the eleventh floor. She stepped out, into the most beautiful house shed ever seen. Everything was soft hues of sunlight, like a day out in the middle of a wheat field. After hurried breakfast, which Rue simply ate an exotic fruit crossed between a mango and papaya fruit and a slice of toast, they went to the training centre.


	4. Chapter 4

**You know the drill, read and review (pretty please with a cherry on top!) and I don't own any Hunger Games characters. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Four**

**Training**

In the training centre, they were told the rules, which were very simple- No hurting others, you had plenty of time for that in the arena. Rue quickly made her way to the climbing station, grinning when she saw the beams running across the roof of the centre. She scurried quickly up the climbing station. The first beam was about a metre and a half away. From her awkward position, she sprung across, gripping onto the metal bar. She ran across the beam, which was roughly a foot wide, stopping above a burly blonde boy. He was throwing knives, each landing in the heart of the dummy. She flinched but saw his volatile personality and grinned. She shimmied down the beam and grabbed his collection of knives, before almost bolting back up, one handed. She saw the boy, later who she discovered was called Cato, turn around to the nearest boy and start punching him viciously. She was still giggling at the outburst when the peacekeepers dragged them apart.

Rue left the knives in the corner of a beam, knowing they'll be found later. She jumped back to the climbing station and clambered down. She went to the paint station, and jumped back when she saw a boy already there, painting his arm like the ground. He waved at her and patted the ground next to him. Rue sat down, watching him work. Several minutes in, she asked, "What's your name?" The boy smiled at her, and replied, "Peeta, District Twelve. How about you?"

"Rue, District Eleven. How can you paint like that?" She said, gesturing to his arm.

"I'm the baker's son in our District. I decorate all the cakes for him. Hopefully I'll just paint myself as a tree and survive the Games by that." Rue giggled, Imagining Peeta as a rather scrawny tree.

He glanced at her and asked, "Was that you who took Cato's knives?" Rue nodded her head as Peeta let out a low whistle. "Impressive. But how?"

Rue pointed at the beams above as Peeta grinned. She got up, as he was washing his arm off. "I'm going to try the snare station" she said and flitted off.

Rue however was distracted by the girl from District Twelve. She was shooting arrows, one after the other into the middle of the target. She looked furtive, like she shouldn't be doing that. She put the bow down and started to walk over to the snare station as Peeta whispered something to her. She turned, and saw Rue. The girl smiled and turned back to Peeta. Rue stood staring at the girls back. She had noticed a gold flicker on her chest. She clambered up a beam and looking down on the girl at the snares, saw it was a mockingjay pin.

Rue thought of the mockingjays at home in the orchards. She would whistle a simple four note melody for them to repeat and sing around to the rest of the workers in the orchard to signal a break or the end of the day. She loved the mockingjays. Once, when she was younger and cockier, she fell out of the tree from the top. She was the only one in this orchard as she was checking for trackerjacker nests. She lay on the ground, in unbearable agony and unable to get up. Surrounding her were mockingjays. She whistled a six note tune over and over, hoping they picked it up. For five minutes there was silence and she was terrified nobody would find her when suddenly a surge of her six note tune was thrown back at her as all the mockingjays sang as one. Within moments, she heard her fellow workers crash through the grass and found her. They picked her up and carried her to her house. She had torn her hamstring and was off orchard work for five months, much to the disgust of the peacekeepers. As recompense her pregnant mother had to work double shifts. Rue never forgave herself for that.

They were called to lunch, interrupting Rue's thoughts. There was a large bird for lunch along with a myriad of delicacies and bread. Rue nibbled on a roll from District Four, the saltiness provided by small pieces of seaweed spread in the bread.

After another hour in the training centre, the Tributes were sent back to their rooms. Once it was just Thresh and her in the elevator, he turned to Rue and quite simply said, "Are you okay? Have any of the others hurt you?" Rue looked up to Thresh and smiled shaking her head. He turned back, satisfied she was okay for now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Parade**

Back at the apartment, Rue had wished others had hurt her. Nothing was comparable to the pain she was currently undergoing. Lying down on a table with nothing but a paper gown, Rue was being assaulted by three purple Capitol stylists, intent on ripping all her hair out. She gritted her teeth as hot wax was poured on her leg and quickly ripped off. Her skin was polished, her eyebrows perfectly shaped. She sat up, awaiting her stylist.

Her stylist went by the name of Dutch, a man with spiky blue hair and golden caps over his teeth. He smiled when he saw her, causing Rue to flinch back. Dutch chuckled and extended a hand, "Dutch. And you must be Rue?" Rue nodded her head in admission. "Well, sweetie, I'm here to make you gorgeous!" He exclaimed, drawing out the 'r' sound. She tried to smile, scared of previous designs. Remembering several Games ago, one of District Eleven's tributes wore a dress made out of wheat which slipped during the parade, much to the girls chagrin. Rue stared ahead, taking deep breaths. Dutch brought out a dress bag with a flourish and triumphantly dragged the zip down.

Rue stared at the garment. It wasn't really anything. At all. It was a pair of blue overalls, something they wore in the fields. She smirked slightly but at Dutch's downhearted look, she recovered quickly. "Really, it's so..." Rue racked her brains for a word, "so chic! The design is just so simple and...original." She finished lamely but Dutch beamed at her praise. She stepped into the overalls, surprised by the luxurious silk lining. Again, she was wearing a white t-shirt underneath, something very impractical in the fields.

As Rue stepped onto the chariot she and Thresh shared she looked up at him. They both wore very little make up, just artfully placed dirt to symbolise their hardworking ability. Dutch walked up to them. "Now, Rue," he began, "I want you to smile and play up your innocence, wave, giggle, do whatever you can to make it look like this is a big game to you. Thresh," Dutch said, turning, "Look as stoic as you can. Be menacing without menace. Just look scary but not be scary. Okay?" Thresh nodded his understanding. Suddenly, the doors opened to a thunderous applause. The horses tugged the chariot forward with a jolt and Rue looked up, smiling at the crowd. She waved, pretending to giggle. From the corner of her eye, she saw roses were being thrown at the District Twelve chariot. Rue looked up to the giant screen and gasped. The girl and the boy, Peeta, were on fire. Flames streamed from their chariot and themselves. The girl was blowing kisses and smiling, the boy holding her hand high. Rue sighed. The girl was a career now, Rue was sure of it. The address by President Snow was short- it was about honour and the favours the Capitol did for the Districts. How proud the tributes should be to play in these glorious games.

After the parade, Thresh and Rue returned to their room. Rue started dinner, enjoying it for the first time. The meat was fatty and She soon had fat running down my chin and my hands. Rue could almost feel her body fattening up, fat being put onto her skinny body. She thought about the last time she was hungry here, and realised it hadn't happened. It was such a good feeling, Rue supposed, just to be happy before death. It was good enough. She then thought about her siblings. How much extra work they'd have to do in her absence. All Rue could think was, I have to get back. For them.

All night, all Rue could think about was her siblings. She thought about nursing the youngest last year. He was such a weak little child, her brother Martin. He was named after her other brother that was killed by Peacekeepers. Martin wasn't the brightest, nobody knew why. Once he stole some night vision goggles. He only wanted to borrow them but the Peacekeepers accused him of stealing. They sentenced him to twenty lashes in front of everyone. He was only three and the brutality and infection that it caused killed him. They named the next boy Martin in his honour. That night, Rue thought about Martin- both the weak little baby now, and her dead brother then.

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**Reviews make me super duper happy! Plus where should I go from here? Any and all suggestion welcome :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six  
Gamemaker**

The next morning, Rue was still haunted by her siblings. She was waiting her turn to show the Gamemakers her skills. She planned to climb up to the beams and swing down and land on the mat in front of the Gamemakers. As a District Eleven tribute she was almost last and thus had a lot of time to think. Rue had noticed she thought about home more and more in the past few days. Right now, her mother would be feeding Martin, while Celine, the second eldest would be making bread from the tesserae. Celine was only ten but she showed promise in baking and would be getting an apprenticeship at the bakers once she turned fourteen. Blossom, who was six, was the older Martin's twin. She would be painstakingly getting ready for school, scrubbing her black school shoes with a rag and tying a perfect yellow ribbon in her hair. At four, Markus would be watching blossom with adoration waiting to go into pre-school himself. Martin would now be falling asleep, sucking his thumb and hugging his blanket close. Her mother would change into her work clothes, her beauty not diminished by the ugly grey pinafore and dress. Her skin was smooth and fair and she had pale grey eyes that seemed to reflect light and laughter. Although they lived on very little, her mother had dimples that were apparent by just the slighted smile. Rue loved that the most about her mother. She was the happiest person Rue knew. She had no reason to be happy, living in the poorest areas but she sang all the time and her laughter filled the house. It was her mother that taught Rue about the mockingjays, how they were an embarrassment, a mistake.

An avox walked out of the training room where the Gamemakers awaited. She had soft brown hair tied back and pale, almost translucent skin with eyes almost fearfully peering at her. The avox girl nodded at Rue, and Rue rolled her into the room, beginning to tremble.

The Gamemakers were lounging around on their chairs and at the tables, not really paying attention. Using their distraction, Rue clambered up the climbing station and silently jumped to the beam. She had grabbed a rope on her way into the centre and sat in the centre of the beam at the top for a minute, tying various knots and snares along the length of the rope.

Rue watched as the Gamemakers noticed her absence, noticing the avox girl staring with a small smile. Suddenly, she remembered the knives she stole from Cato. They were just where she left them. Not entirely sure what she was doing, Rue dropped the three knives from the beam, where each miraculously buried themselves into the floor. Finally catching the Gamemakers attention with the thuds of the knives, she dropped the rope with the various knots in it, using them as steps to climb down, dropping the last six feet. The head Gamemaker, Seneca, she thought, looked down at her, and warmly said "Thank you, Rue. That will be all."

Back in her apartment, Rue nervously waited on the Capitol's Hunger Games channel on the television set, nervously awaiting her score. Chaff sat down next to her and petted her head. "It'll be okay, little girl. What did you do?" Rue recounted what she did and how she clambered to the beam without anyone noticing and Thresh snickered. Chaff and Seeder exchanged a look, which Rue suddenly feared, afraid that she had done the wrong thing. After all, her mother had always called her feisty.

Dinner was a quiet affair, Rue's second last night before the Games. Chaff and Seeder had been encouraging her to eat more and put on weight before the games, so she would have some fat reserves to help carry her through several days without food. Rue was still trying all the different foods available when the program came on showing their scores. It was mostly a recap and Rue quickly became bored by it, but when Cato, the first tribute scored ten out of twelve, Rue's stomach flipped and her hands quickly became clammy. After what seemed like a lifetime, District Eleven's scores finally arrived. Rue held her breath. "Rue, District Eleven has scored seven out of twelve." Chaff and Seeder looked at her encouragingly. For her, it was a perfect score, not too low to be seen as weak but not too high to be seen as a threat. Rue realised she'd been holding her breath. She sighed in relief.


End file.
